logo
Israel-Iran war: Lessons learned

Israel-Iran war: Lessons learned

Watani16 hours ago
June 2025 was witness to the Israel-Iran war that involved Israeli strikes aimed at eliminating Iran's military and nuclear prowess, and Iranian retaliatory attacks with the purpose of inflicting maximum possible destruction on Israel. The war involved lethal strikes by American weapons on Iranian nuclear reactor sites, followed by an Iranian strike against American bases in Qatar—a scenario coined up for Iran 'not to lose face'. Finally, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire which we hope would prevail despite leaked news of both parties breaching the ceasefire.
It is now time to contemplate and explore the events that led to the war, in an attempt to comprehend its magnitude and learn a few lessons. I believe that no one is better poised to do that than American political scientist and international relations scholar John Mearsheimer, 77, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor at University of Chicago. Prof Mearsheimer was recently hosted on Youtube's Breaking Points, the podcast presented by Krystal and Saagar. Today I present excerpts of the views voiced by the Professor on Breaking Points.
'I think the argument that we have solved the nuclear problem with Iran is wrong, and if anything, it's more likely than ever that Iran will get nuclear weapons. Almost everybody I know argues that if Iran wants nuclear weapons there's nothing you can do to prevent them from getting nuclear weapon; they have so much capability, and even if we were to destroy all of the existing facilities, they could rebuild them underneath a bigger mountain and eventually have nuclear weapons.
'To talk about regime change is changing the objective. Trump initially said that this was simply about taking out Iran's nuclear capability; he probably now realises that we have not done that. So now we're talking about regime change on the assumption that if we put in a new regime, those new Iranian leaders are not going to want nuclear weapons. This too is delusional. What Iranian in his or her right mind doesn't want a nuclear deterrent at this point in time? Furthermore, we're not going to get regime change, in all likelihood if you look at what's happening inside Iran… People are coming together to support the regime… So I think this is not going to work to cause regime change any more than it's going to work to eliminate nuclear capability.
'I think this has done great damage to the nuclear proliferation regime with regard to our reputation around the world. I mean the United States is correctly seen as a rogue State. Even in East Asia today, allies like Japan and South Korea are basically condemning us for what we've done… First of all the duplicative diplomacy here, and then this idea that we have the right just to run around the world attacking countries whenever we see fit. Furthermore, let's not lose sight of the fact that the United States is supporting the Israeli genocide in Gaza… America's reputation is in tatters; sure we're the most powerful State on the planet, but I think almost everybody outside of Israel and the United States and a few European leaders understand that the United States is basically out of control.
'There's no question in my mind that the Israelis understood that if they started a war against Iran, the focus would be on Iran especially if they brought the Americans in, and that would leave them free to ramp up the genocide, and possibly drive the Palestinians out of Gaza. It's very clear that that is their goal… and it's quite clear to me that starting a major war with Iran goes a long way towards helping them cleanse Gaza.
'American policy makers believe that the principal threat that the United States faces today is from China; China is widely seen as a peer competitor, and the United States has been interested in pivoting to Asia since 2011 when Hillary Clinton who was then Secretary of State said 'We're going to pivot to Asia'. But we cannot pivot to Asia in any meaningful way in large part because of the Ukraine war and what's going on in the Middle East, and if you look at all the naval and air assets that we have in the Middle East now that should be in East Asia, you see that we have greatly weakened our strategic situation in East Asia and we are in a poor position at this point in time for purposes of containing China, this is not in our interest.
'Any policymaker or any politician or aspiring politician who criticises Israel will find out very quickly that that person has the lobby's gun sight on him or her…The lobby will go to great lengths to destroy that person's career and make sure that he or she never gets elected to office… If you support Israel hook, line and sinker, you'll get big-time support from the lobby… If you support Israel, if you back it, and you push the American military to do things that are said to be in Israel's interest, your job prospects once you retire will be much better. I could go on and on about this, but Israel lobby has enormous influence in the United States.
'I think that Obama fully understood that the lobby was powerful but nevertheless its policies were not good for the United States; he understood that Israel is an albatross around their neck. He would never say that publicly… But he understood that getting a deal with Iran made sense, and he worked overtime to fashion a deal, and had a number of European countries: the French, British and Germans, plus the Russians and Chinese on his side. He was able to barely push through the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action), the nuclear agreement with Iran. But he took tremendous heat along the way from the Israelis and from the lobby. Then when Trump came to power in 2017, he made it clear that he was going to do away with the JCPOA, and of course in the summer of 2018, he walked away from it… Then the Trump administration started dealing with this issue again a few months ago, and Trump himself was talking about working out a deal that looked like JCPOA. Then the lobby moved in unsurprisingly and made it clear to Trump that there was not going to be a deal like JCPOA… In May again, the Trump administration was maintaining 'we're going to negotiate with Iran, we're going to curtail their nuclear weapons programme that's all we want'… Then they shifted to early June saying 'no nuclear enrichment'… Witkoff and Trump both did 180-degree turn, said the Iranians cannot have any nuclear enrichment at all which was allowed in the original JCPOA, and the Iranians said that was unacceptable and here we are today. Bottom line is that common sense won a victory during the Obama period, but that was quickly overturned by Trump, then it looked like Trump might win a victory for common sense this time, and it was quickly overturned by the lobby. So, you see the power of the lobby at every turn, it's almost impossible for a president to have any manoeuvre room when it comes to dealing with issues that are dear to Israel's heart.'
Watani International
4 July 2025 Comments
comments Tags: Israel and IranProblems on holdYoussef Sidhom
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Reports: Russian Transport Minister Dies by Suicide After Dismissal from Office
Reports: Russian Transport Minister Dies by Suicide After Dismissal from Office

See - Sada Elbalad

time2 hours ago

  • See - Sada Elbalad

Reports: Russian Transport Minister Dies by Suicide After Dismissal from Office

Rana Atef On Monday, media reports cited that the Russian transport minister Roman Starovoit was found dead from a gunshot wound in an apparent suicide. The suicide of the Russian official came after the Kremlin announced dismissing him from his position by President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin did not provide the reasons for dismissing Starovoit, who served as transport minister since May 2024. Russia's Investigative Committee said the body of Starovoit was found with a gunshot wound in his car parked in Odintsovo. The gun was found next to his body. An investigation was launched into the death, and investigators saw suicide as the most likely cause, according to committee's spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean

Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Strained Amid Netanyahu's Planned Visit to Washington
Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Strained Amid Netanyahu's Planned Visit to Washington

See - Sada Elbalad

time4 hours ago

  • See - Sada Elbalad

Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Strained Amid Netanyahu's Planned Visit to Washington

Ahmed Emam The ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas are unfolding under a cloud of tension and political division, even as talks continue in pursuit of a ceasefire agreement that would include the release of all detainees, according to Alqahera News. The second round of discussions has begun and, so far, there have been no significant field violations recorded, though sources familiar with the matter anticipate that breakthroughs—or possible setbacks—could coincide with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming visit to Washington, where he is expected to meet former U.S. President Donald Trump. Hamas remains firm on its conditions, demanding a sustainable ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from specific areas in the Gaza Strip, and adjustments to the mechanisms for distributing humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, sharp internal disputes have erupted within Israel's leadership, particularly between the military establishment and far-right political figures. Tensions are reportedly high between the Israeli Chief of Staff and several ministers from the extreme right over the future of military operations and Gaza's fate. The Israeli military has acknowledged its inability to fully achieve its military objectives and is considering three potential scenarios: a prisoner exchange deal, a full-scale occupation of Gaza, or conducting limited operations to avoid heavy casualties without deep incursions into urban areas. Ongoing disagreements persist over how to govern Gaza's civilian population and manage Hamas. While the military warns of severe consequences from occupying the territory, far-right leaders continue to push for more aggressive measures. Netanyahu's upcoming talks in Washington are widely viewed as a potential turning point that could either advance the negotiations or deepen the current divisions. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean

Iran president says Israel attempted to assassinate him - Region
Iran president says Israel attempted to assassinate him - Region

Al-Ahram Weekly

time4 hours ago

  • Al-Ahram Weekly

Iran president says Israel attempted to assassinate him - Region

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview released on Monday that Israel, which last month fought a 12-day war with Iran, had attempted to assassinate him. "They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed," Pezeshkian told US media figure Tucker Carlson in response to a question on whether he believed Israel had tried to kill him. "It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was in a meeting... they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting," he said according to a translation of his remarks from Persian, in apparent reference to an alleged assassination attempt during the recent war. On June 13, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, killing top military commanders and nuclear scientists. The Israeli attacks took place days before Tehran and Washington were set to meet for a new round of nuclear talks which began on April 12. More than 900 people were killed in Iran during the conflict, according to the judiciary. The Israeli attacks drew waves of retaliatory drone and missile fire, killing 28 people in Israel, according to authorities. The 12-day war between Iran and Israel saw it, along with the United States, launching strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. During the interview with Carlson, Pezeshkian said his country has "no problem" restarting nuclear talks, provided that trust can be reestablished between the two countries. "We see no problem in re-entering the negotiations," the Iranian president said. "There is a condition ... for restarting the talks. How are we going to trust the United States again? We re-entered the negotiations, then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us." Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store